THE BIG BANKSIA

This banksia nut vase is built on the same principle of football, 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. Each hexagon is a frame of Queensland silky oak with 65mm dia. hole to house a side slice of banksia, and each pentagon is with 52mm dia hole to house a cross cut of the nut. The neck and the base are several segments of side slices. The vase consumed aroud 12 nuts and, altogether, made of 220 pieces.

WARNING: USE A MASK WHEN YOU WORK ON BANKSIA, IT COULD GIVE UNWANTED REACTION FOR MANY PEOPLE.

Hi Sam, I would like to know where your inspiration came from to get you making these spheres based on the soccer ball. When I first saw your soccer ball I said “wow. how did he do that?” I intend to make a few more soccer balls perhaps in May/June. I will be attending Turnfest on the Gold Coast 26th – 28th of this month. Tell some of the members from you club to say “Hello”. I have calculated some of the measurements differently from you. I would like to know how you arrived at the angles for the undercuts on the hexagons and pentagons. It is a fantastic project and the mathematics is, well interesting to say the least. I have a cousin living in Lugarno, on the George river. Is that near you? Next time I visit her I would like to see you too. We could have a long, long chat about spheres. I like to experiment. I am trying to post a few photos on this site but being new to this I am having a few teething problems. A favourite saying of mine is “One good turn deserves another”. This I try to live out. So, keep on turning.

It’s great to see woodworkers leave a note of potential dangers relating to differant woods. . . . Just to add to Sam’s warning, there are needle type fibers in Banksia nuts, I have been told once breathed in it will stay in the lungs for good. Also silky oak can cause some very serious skin, respiratory and eye reactions, so take care when working it! A good test is to rub a sliver of the wood on a tender area of skin, if it turns red or itches cover up or avoid it and always use a mask and safety glasses.